AustLit

'While reading Jock Serong's The Rules of Backyard Cricket, I kept asking myself if it is possible to write a socially conscious version of Lethal Weapon, with the same drugs, prostitution, and desperation but without the one-liners and subliminal endorsement of machismo and authoritarian violence. Raised by a single mother after their alcoholic father fails to return home after work one day, the two are in constant competition with each other, frequently getting into scuffles over foul play during backyard matches. First person allows us an excellent look at how Darren sees himself, which is a good choice given that the novel examines how his private life is marred by his public persona-but the level of irony needed to distance the novel from Darren's juvenile musings simply is not present.'  (Publication abstract)